The Hall of Decrees was the supreme court cathedral of the Azure Cloud Sect’s outer administration.
Built from massive stone blocks of dark green jade and banded star-iron, the floor was polished to a mirrored finish that reflected the flickering light of eighty bronze oil sconces. The air smelled of bitter pine-resin, sealing wax, and ancient damp thick parchment. A constant draft drifted down from the high skylights, carrying the chill of the upper mountain snowfields.
Built from massive stone blocks of dark green jade and banded star-iron, the hall was a vast, vaulted tiered arena spanning two hundred paces, supported by twelve huge pillars carved with the likenesses of the founding court ancestors. Above the central dais hung three massive bronze scales of justice, suspended from the ceiling by iron chains three feet thick, each scale balanced with a care that could register the weight of a single hair.
Seated upon the high judge’s bench of carved stone-hard sandalwood were Senior Inspector Han and Disciplinary Elder Song. He was flanked by seven assistant judges holding long horsehair writing brushes.
Below the bench, in the center of the green jade floor, Captain Zhao and Deacon Sun knelt in heavy dragon-locking chains. Their foreheads were pressed against the cold stone. Beside them stood Vanguard Commander Yue, guarded by four trial guards with drawn poleaxes.
